Plácido Domingo Announces LA Opera's 2011/12 Season

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1 Los Angeles Opera Media Contacts: Gary W. Murphy, Director of Communications and Public Relations (213) Kimberly Henshaw, Press Assistant (213) Plácido Domingo Announces LA Opera's 2011/12 Season Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (Company Premiere) Mozart's Così fan tutte (Production New to Los Angeles) Gounod's Roméo et Juliette (Revival) Verdi's Simon Boccanegra (Company Premiere) Britten's Albert Herring (Production New to Los Angeles) Puccini's La Bohème (Revival) James Conlon to conduct four productions (Los Angeles, CA) January 31, Plácido Domingo, LA Opera's Eli and Edythe Broad General Director, announced the details of the Company's 2011/12 season today via The season will include two important Company premieres, revivals of two landmark LA Opera productions, and two beloved comedies returning to the Company's repertory in productions new to Los Angeles. James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, will conduct four productions and Mr. Domingo, who will sing the title role in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, will also conduct one of the season's productions. The season, which includes a total of 37 performances presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles, opens on September 17, 2011, and will run through June 2, "Opera truly comes to life on stage through the perfectly balanced combination of incredible music, brilliant productions and superlative performers," said Mr. Domingo. "The challenge of creating and achieving this balance throughout a season is one that I very much enjoy. I am proud that LA Opera's coming season continues to sustain the highest level of artistry that our audiences have come to appreciate. Scrupulous vocal standards are particularly important to me, and I feel that the season's vocal roster is absolutely world class, with exciting new discoveries making important Company debuts as well as returning artists who are already audience favorites. I am particularly looking forward to performing the title role in Simon Boccanegra for Los Angeles audiences, performances which I know will be especially meaningful for me. Two of the season's six operas will be Company premieres, and since two others, Così fan tutte and Albert Herring, haven't been presented here in 15 and 20 years, respectively, I feel that this is a very exciting season of rediscovery. Of course, this season would not have been achievable without the dedication of our generous family of supporters. I am especially appreciative of our peerless Board of Directors and the inspiring leadership of Chairman Marc I. Stern and President Carol F. Henry. I am also grateful to Chief Executive Officer Stephen D. Rountree, Christopher Koelsch, our Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer and to the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County for their ongoing support for LA Opera."

2 "We are presenting a cross-section of the repertory, performed in four different languages, that features a balance between known and unknown works," said Mr. Conlon. "I am particularly happy to conduct the first Russian opera presented at LA Opera in a decade and to continue building toward the centennial of Britten's birth in 2013 with our first production of Albert Herring in two decades. Opera companies are defined by the musical standards of their orchestra and chorus, as much as they are by theatrical standards, and I am extremely gratified by the extraordinary performances that have become the hallmark of the LA Opera Orchestra and Chorus." The season opens with the Company premiere of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (six performances: Sept. 17 through Oct. 9, 2011), conducted by Mr. Conlon. The production, which was originally created for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, by the late stage director Steven Pimlott, stars Slovakian baritone Dalibor Jenis in the title role and Ukrainian soprano Oksana Dyka in her American operatic debut as Tatyana. The cast also includes Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk, who made her 2010 LA Opera debut as Fricka in Die Walküre, as Olga, Russian tenor Vsevolod Grivnov as Lensky and bass James Creswell as Prince Gremin. Last presented by LA Opera in 1996, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Così fan tutte (six performances: Sept. 18 through Oct. 8, 2011) is presented in an acclaimed Nicholas Hytner production from Glyndebourne Festival Opera, conducted by Mr. Conlon. The cast includes four artists in their Company debuts-polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak as Fiordiligi, Romanian mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu as Despina, Italian bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Guglielmo and Italian bass Lorenzo Regazzo as Don Alfonso. Romanian mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose, who made her 2008 Company debut in the leading role of Veronica Quaife in The Fly, returns as Dorabella and Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu, who made his 2008 Company debut as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, returns as Ferrando. LA Opera's 2005 production of Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette (six performances: Nov. 6 through 26, 2011), directed by Ian Judge, returns with Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze (Adina in L'Elisir d'amore, 2008; Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia, 2011) and Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, making his Company debut, in the leading roles. Mr. Domingo will conduct this production, which also features Ukrainian bass Vitalij Kowaljow (Wotan in LA Opera's Ring cycle) as Frère Laurent. Russian baritone Vladimir Chernov, whose most recent LA Opera role was Giorgio in Il Postino, returns as Count Capulet, and bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos, whose LA Opera appearances have included Doctor Bartolo in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (2009) and Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro (2010), returns as the Duke of Verona. Mezzo-soprano Ronnita Nicole Miller, an alumna of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program, returns as Gertrude, and a current member of the program, baritone Museop Kim, sings the role of Mercutio. Giuseppe Verdi's Simon Boccanegra (seven performances: Feb. 11 through March 4, 2012) has long fascinated Plácido Domingo, who had frequently performed the opera's tenor role of Gabriele Adorno. In 2009, he fulfilled a longstanding dream by adding the baritone role of Boccanegra to his vast repertoire at the Berlin State Opera, subsequently repeating the role in London, New York, Milan and Madrid. He now performs the role, one of opera's most complex characters, for his "home" company in what will be the work's Company premiere. Mr. Conlon will conduct the production, which is directed by Elijah Moshinsky. Soprano Ana María Martínez (La Bohème, 2004; La Traviata, 2001) returns as Boccanegra's long-lost daughter Amelia and bass Vitalij Kowaljow, in his second appearance for the season, returns as Fiesco. Italian tenor Stefano Secco makes his Company debut as Gabriele Adorno and Italian baritone Paolo Gavanelli (Il Turco in Italia, 2011) returns as Paolo Albiani. LA Opera has long championed the operas of Benjamin Brittten and is celebrating the centennial of the composer's 1913 birth by presenting one of his operas each season through 2013, an initiative that begins with the current season's production of The Turn of the Screw. In the 2011/12 season, the

3 charming comedy Albert Herring (six performances: Feb. 25 through March 17, 2012) returns to the repertory, conducted by James Conlon. Director Paul Curran stages a captivating production that was the hit of the 2010 Santa Fe Opera season, with tenor Alek Shrader repeating his Santa Fe triumph for his Company debut as Albert. The cast includes several additional artists making their first LA Opera appearances, including baritone Liam Bonner as Sid, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack as Nancy, mezzo-soprano Jane Bunnell as Mrs. Herring and baritone Jonathan Michie as Mr. Gedge, the vicar. Returning artists include bass Richard Bernstein as Superintendent Budd, soprano Stacey Tappan as Miss Wordsworth and mezzo-soprano Ronnita Nicole Miller as Florence Pike. LA Opera's enormously popular Herbert Ross production of Giacomo Puccini's La Bohème (six performances: May 12 through June 2, 2012) closes the season, with internationally acclaimed husband-and-wife team of tenor Stephen Costello and soprano Ailyn Pérez in the leading roles of Rodolfo and Mimi. Conductor Patrick Summers also makes his Company debut, leading a young and vibrant cast that includes fast-rising Polish baritone Artur Rucinski in his American debut as Marcello, and bass-baritone Philip Cokorinos returning in the dual roles of Benoit and Alcindoro. Several members of LA Opera's Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program will also appear in the production, including sopranos Janai Brugger-Orman and Valentina Fleer alternating as Musetta and baritone Museop Kim as Schaunard. Throughout the season, Grant will continue to serve as Associate Conductor / Chorus Master. In addition, Mr. Domingo announced that, for the sixth consecutive year, Classical KUSC FM 91.5 will once again broadcast LA Opera on Air, an annual series of radio broadcasts. This year's series will feature operas from the Company's current 2010/11 season, recorded live in performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The series will be distributed nationally by the WFMT Radio Network and internationally via the European Broadcast Union. The broadcasts are scheduled to begin airing on Classical KUSC FM 91.5 at 10am on May 21, 2011, after the final Metropolitan Opera broadcast of the spring, and will also be streamed online at The series is hosted by Classical KUSC's Duff Murphy. This endeavor continues to be made possible by a generous major grant from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, spearheaded by the efforts of Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky. "I am continually astonished by the uncompromisingly high artistic standard that LA Opera has been able to create and sustain in just 25 years of existence," said Board Chairman Marc I. Stern. "Our generous supporters and our superb Board of Directors are clearly determined that Los Angeles will continue to be the home of a world-class opera company, and I am grateful to them all for their commitment. Additionally, the dedicated support of the Music Center and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors provides a foundation critical to presenting productions of international quality. LA Opera will continue to thrive, under the incomparable leadership of Plácido Domingo and James Conlon, as we build upon our past success and look ahead to an even more exciting future." Currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary Season, LA Opera has become, under the leadership of Eli and Edythe Broad General Director Plácido Domingo, one of America's most ambitious opera companies. In 2010, LA Opera presented its first complete performances of Wagner's epic Ring cycle, conducted by Richard Seaver Music Director James Conlon. The Company's 2010/11 season began with the highly acclaimed world premiere of Daniel Catán's Il Postino, starring Mr. Domingo in the leading role of Pablo Neruda. Presenting benchmark productions of standard repertoire as well as new and rarely-staged operas, the Company brings together world-renowned singers, designers, directors and conductors to create opera that attracts the attention of international audiences and critics. Rolex is the Official Timepiece of LA Opera.

4 Silversea is the Official Cruise Line of LA Opera. Yamaha is the Official Piano of LA Opera. ### 2011/12 SEASON: CASTING AND CALENDAR * denotes LA Opera debut artist + denotes Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program member ++ denotes Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program alumnus EUGENE ONEGIN Company Premiere Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Libretto: Konstantin Stepanovich Shilovsky and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, based on the verse novel by Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin World premiere: March 29, 1879, Maly Theater, Moscow U.S. premiere: March 24, 1920, Metropolitan Opera, New York Conductor: James Conlon Production: Steven Pimlott* Scenery and Costumes: Antony McDonald Lighting: Peter Mumford* Choreographer: Linda Dobell* Eugene Onegin: Dalibor Jenis* Tatyana: Oksana Dyka* Lensky: Vsevolod Grivnov* Olga: Ekaterina Semenchuk Prince Gremin: James Creswell Assoc. Conductor / Chorus Master: Grant Madame Larina: Margaret Thompson Filipievna: Ronnita Nicole Miller++ Monsieur Triquet: Keith Jameson Opening performance: Saturday, September 17, 2011, at 6pm Additional performances: Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30pm; Sunday, September 25 at 2pm; Saturday, October 1 at 7:30pm; Thursday, October 6 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 9 at 2pm. LA Opera's 2011/12 season opens with the long awaited Company premiere of a Russian treasure. A naïve girl's hastily written letter sets off an unstoppable series of events, leading to a chilling duel and the heartbreaking termination of a love affair that was never meant to be. The most beloved of all Russian operas comes to the LA Opera stage with a marvelous cast of exciting young performers. Ukrainian soprano Oksana Dyka and Slovakian baritone Dalibor Jenis make their Company debuts in the leading roles of Tatiana and Onegin, with Ekaterina Semenchuk as Olga and Russian tenor Vsevolod Grivnov as Lensky. James Conlon conducts a psychologically astute production from Covent Garden created by the late Steven Pimlott. Co-production of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and Finnish National Opera Sung in Russian with English supertitles COSÌ FAN TUTTE Production New to Los Angeles Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Lorenzo Da Ponte World premiere: January 26, 1790, Burgtheater, Vienna U.S. premiere: March 24, 1922, Metropolitan Opera, New York Previous LA Opera performances: 1988, 1991, 1996 Conductor: James Conlon Production: Nicholas Hytner* Fiordiligi: Aleksandra Kurzak* Dorabella: Ruxandra Donose

5 Stage Director: Ashley Dean* Scenery and Costumes: Vicki Mortimer* Lighting Design: Paule Constable* Despina: Roxana Constantinescu* Ferrando: Saimir Pirgu Guglielmo: Ildebrando D'Arcangelo* Assoc. Conductor / Chorus Master: Grant Don Alfonso: Lorenzo Regazzo* Opening performance: Sunday, September 18, 2011 at 2pm Additional performances: Thursday, September 22 at 7:30pm; Saturday, September 24 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 2 at 2pm; Wednesday, October 5 at 7:30pm; Saturday, October 8 at 2pm. Two young men go undercover to test the fidelity of their lady loves. What could possibly go wrong? Mozart's delightfully comic battle of the sexes returns to the LA Opera stage for the first time in 15 years. Filled with ravishingly beautiful music, Così fan tutte ["They're all alike!"] features a clever plot that was bracingly politically incorrect even for Mozart's day. A period staging by director Nicholas Hytner, drenched in sumptuous summer light, deftly blends elegance and farce to emphasize the very real human emotions embedded throughout Mozart's miraculous score. James Conlon conducts a brilliant sextet of world-class young performers. Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak makes her LA Opera debut as the steadfast Fiordiligi, joined by Romanian mezzo-soprano Ruxandra Donose (The Fly, 2008) returning as her more susceptible sister Dorabella. As their lovers, Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu (Gianni Schicchi, 2008) returns as Ferrando with Italian bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo in his first Company appearance as Guglielmo. Italian bass Lorenzo Regazzo and Romanian mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu round out the ensemble as the scheming Don Alfonso and Despina. Production from Glyndebourne Festival Opera Sung in Italian with English supertitles ROMÉO ET JULIETTE Revival Music: Charles Gounod Libretto: Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on the play by William Shakespeare World premiere: April 27, 1867, Théâtre-Lyrique, Paris U.S. premiere: November 15, 1867, Academy of Music, New York Previous LA Opera performances: 2005 Conductor: Plácido Domingo Director: Ian Judge Scenery: John Gunter Costumes: Tim Goodchild Lighting: Nigel Levings Choreographer: Kitty McNamee Fight Director: Ed Douglas Juliette: Nino Machaidze Roméo: Vittorio Grigolo* Mercutio: Museop Kim+ Frère Laurent: Vitalij Kowaljow Count Capulet: Vladimir Chernov Duke of Verona: Philip Cokorinos Gertrude: Ronnita Nicole Miller++ Assoc. Conductor / Chorus Master: Grant Opening performance: Sunday, November 6, 2011, at 2pm Additional performances: Wednesday, November 9 at 7:30pm; Saturday, November 12 at 7:30pm; Thursday, November 17 at 7:30pm; Sunday, November 20 at 2pm; Saturday, November 26 at 2pm Based on Shakespeare's timeless tragedy of star crossed lovers, Roméo et Juliette sets an impassioned secret affair against a grandly-scaled backdrop of fierce family rivalries. Gounod's score thrills the ear with swirling waltzes, dramatic choruses and exquisite arias. Fall in love all over again, as four sublime love duets-so pure, so poetic, so perfect-flood the theater with intoxicating romance,

6 making Roméo et Juliette an unforgettable experience to savor. Tenor sensation Vittorio Grigolo makes his Company debut as Roméo, with the enchanting Nino Machaidze returning as Juliette. Plácido Domingo conducts one of LA Opera's landmark productions, directed by Ian Judge. As Frère Laurent, the magnificent bass Vitalij Kowaljow returns for his first LA Opera appearance since his performances as Wotan in the Ring cycle. Baritone Vladimir Chernov, a Company favorite, returns as Count Capulet. A Los Angeles Opera original production Sung in French with English supertitles SIMON BOCCANEGRA Company Premiere Music: Giuseppe Verdi Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave (revised by Arrigo Boito), based on a play by Antonio García Gutiérrez World premiere: March 12, 1857, Teatro La Fenice, Venice (revised version premiered March 24, 1882, Teatro alla Scala, Milan) U.S. premiere: January 28, 1932, Metropolitan Opera, New York Conductor: James Conlon Production: Elijah Moshinsky Scenery: Michael Yeargan Costumes: Peter J. Hall Simon Boccanegra: Plácido Domingo Amelia: Ana María Martínez Jacopo Fiesco: Vitalij Kowaljow Gabriele Adorno: Stefano Secco* Assoc. Conductor / Chorus Master: Grant Paolo Albiani: Paolo Gavanelli Opening performance: Saturday, February 11, 2012, at 7:30pm Additional performances: Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30pm; Sunday, February 19 at 2pm; Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30pm; Sunday, February 26 at 2pm; Thursday, March 1 at 7:30pm; Sunday, March 4 at 2pm. An absorbing study of power finds its emotional center in the unbreakable bond between father and daughter, as a visionary leader is forced to deal with treachery and rebellion. Verdi's grandly scaled score, filled with deeply felt arias and roof-rattling choruses, brings his characters to vivid life in a series of striking encounters that spans two generations. The peerless Plácido Domingo fulfilled a lifelong dream when he first took on the challenge of singing the baritone title role in Simon Boccanegra. Now he brings his celebrated interpretation of one of opera's most complex characters to his home company, joined by conductor James Conlon and a stellar cast. Soprano Ana María Martínez, whose previous LA Opera triumphs include Mimi in La Bohème and Violetta in La Traviata, returns as Simon's long lost daughter Amelia. Italian tenor Stefano Secco makes his Company debut as Gabriele Adorno. In his second LA Opera appearance of the season, bass Vitalij Kowaljow returns as Fiesco, one of Verdi's greatest bass roles. Production from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden Sung in Italian with English supertitles ALBERT HERRING Production New to Los Angeles Music: Benjamin Britten Libretto: Eric Crozier, based on the short story Le rosier de Madame Husson by Guy de Maupassant World premiere: June 20, 1947, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, East Sussex, U.K. U.S. premiere: August 8, 1949, Tanglewood Music Festival, Lenox, Massachusetts Previous LA Opera performances: 1992

7 Conductor: James Conlon Production: Paul Curran* Scenery and Costumes: Kevin Knight* Original Lighting Design: Rick Fisher* Albert Herring: Alek Shrader* Lady Billows: TBA Nancy: Daniela Mack* Sid: Liam Bonner* Florence Pike: Ronnita Nicole Miller++ Miss Wordsworth: Stacey Tappan Mr. Gedge, the Vicar: Jonathan Michie* Superintendent Budd: Richard Bernstein Mrs. Herring: Jane Bunnell* Opening performance: Saturday, February 25, 2012, at 7:30pm Additional performances: Saturday, March 3 at 7:30pm; Thursday, March 8 at 7:30pm; Sunday, March 11 at 2pm; Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30pm; Saturday, March 17 at 2pm. It is spring in a bucolic English country village, the season for the May Festival committee to choose a May Queen from the lovely village girls. Disastrously, no maiden of sufficient virtue can be found, so Albert Herring, a meek mama's boy, reluctantly becomes Loxford's first May King. But when his friends surreptitiously ply him with liquid courage at the coronation ceremony, Albert breaks out of his shell with a drunken spree that scandalizes the village busybodies. James Conlon conducts an acclaimed Santa Fe Opera production directed by Paul Curran, hailed as "a corking good time" (James M. Keller, The New Mexican). Tenor charmer Alek Shrader, reprising the role of his Santa Fe triumph, makes his Company debut as Alfred. Production from the Santa Fe Opera Sung in English with English supertitles LA BOHÈME Revival Music: Giacomo Puccini Libretto: Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, based on Henry Mürger's Scènes de la vie de bohème World premiere: February 1, 1896, Teatro Regio, Torino U.S. premiere: October 14, 1897, Los Angeles Theatre (by the Carl Rosa Opera Company), Los Angeles Previous LA Opera performances: 1987, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007 Conductor: Patrick Summers* Production: Herbert Ross Mimi: Ailyn Pérez Rodolfo: Stephen Costello* Director: Gregory A. Fortner* Musetta: Janai Brugger-Orman+ / Valentina Scenery: Gerard Howland Fleer+ Costumes: Peter J. Hall Marcello: Artur Rucinski* Assoc. Conductor / Chorus Master: Grant Schaunard: Museop Kim+ Benoit/Alcindoro: Philip Cokorinos Choreographer: Peggy Hickey Opening performance: Saturday, May 12, 2012, at 7:30pm Additional performances: Sunday, May 20 at 2pm; Wednesday, May 23 at 7:30pm; Saturday, May 26 at 7:30pm; Thursday, May 31 at 7:30pm; Saturday, June 2 at 2pm A candle flickers out on Christmas Eve, tentative hands meet in the dark, and a rapturous duet soars under the moonlight. The heartbreaking story of opera's most famous young lovers returns in LA Opera's signature Herbert Ross production, conducted by Patrick Summers. A poet discovers true love with a fragile seamstress as a painter and a vivacious cabaret singer rediscover their on-again, off-again passion. Surrounded by the evocative rooftops, cafés and garrets of Paris, these lively bohemians experience exhilarating joy and irretrievable loss. The fresh young cast is headed by the

8 husband-and-wife team of tenor Stephen Costello and soprano Ailyn Pérez as Rodolfo and Mimi, joined by the fast-rising Polish baritone Artur Rucinski in his American debut as Marcello. A Los Angeles Opera original production Sung in Italian with English supertitles Los Angeles Opera. All Rights Reserved.